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Alburgh Selectboard member Bernard Savage Sr. pleaded not guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to seven felony counts of cocaine and oxycodone distribution and conspiracy to distribute drugs.

Savage and his lawyer are disavowing any involvement by him in Hells Angels or any improper motorcycle clubs.

The indicted government official said little as he left the federal courthouse, but did tell the Burlington Free Press he had never been a member of the Hells Angels.

According to court records, Savage, 57, found himself caught up in a turf war between several motorcycle clubs, including Hells Angels and a group in St. Albans known as the Vietnam Vets.

“He wants to make it clear that the charges that he was indicted for are completely unrelated to any alleged motorcycle activity that the government claims Mr. Savage was involved in,” defense lawyer Karen Shingler said after the arraignment.

During the hearing, Shingler asked for 90 days to investigate the charges and to file motions. Magistrate Judge John M. Conroy asked whether 60 days would be enough time.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy Fuller said there were a number of recorded conversations that she described as “extensive.” Fuller also said she was waiting on reports for drugs sent to a lab.

Conroy, citing the missing lab reports and “voluminous recordings,” ordered all motions filed by Dec. 17. He said the case is assigned to Senior Federal Judge William K. Sessions III in Burlington.

Conroy, who released Savage on conditions following an earlier hearing, allowed him to remain free on the same conditions.

Savage, with his long hair braided into a ponytail, tried to use his “Bike Week” cap to hide his face from news photographers as he left the federal courthouse on Elmwood Avenue.

His wife, Patty, had called a family friend to pull up in a car and double park in front of the courthouse so they could hustle into the vehicle.

Bernard Savage, also known as the “Joker,” according to court papers, is listed as an officer of the Devils Jesters Riding Club, state records show. New federal records note, however, that Savage has told investigators he is no longer associated with any club.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, in a motion filed after a court-ordered search of Savage’s home and business on U.S. 2, said Savage spoke to investigators after the July 1 raid. The conversation was “about various motorcycle groups in Vermont and Massachusetts, including groups such as the Hells Angels and a group located in the St. Albans area of Vermont called the Vietnam Vets.”

The motion stated, “Savage told law enforcement about some of the illegal dealings of these groups and explained he was no longer a member of any motorcycle club, including the Devils Jesters.”

Savage outlined an assault with a hammer he said he endured from another motorcycle club that thought he had disrespected the group, the motion stated.

“Savage told law enforcement that in light of the recent assault and the violent tendencies of the motorcycle clubs he was associated with, he feared for his life if anyone learned that he talked about the clubs,” the motion explained.

Under questioning from Judge Conroy in court, Savage said he had dropped out of school in ninth grade. He also said he had never been treated for drug addiction and is seeing a doctor.

When Conroy asked why, Savage held up a bandaged left hand. Savage, a former licensed gun dealer, has said he shot himself at home while taking a gun out of a holster Aug. 13.

Savage initially faced a single charge of distribution of cocaine, but a federal grand jury later voted to indict him on additional counts.

The new indictment maintains Savage conspired with others to distribute cocaine and oxycodone between 2014 and June 2015.

Savage is also charged with possessing 103 firearms July 1 when he was prohibited from doing so because he is “an unlawful user of a controlled substance,” the indictment stated.

This story was first posted online on Sept. 16, 2015. Contact Mike Donoghue at 660-1845 or mdonoghue@freepressmedia.com. Follow Mike on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FreepsMikeD.